Sue ushered him into the room, “This is Mr. Smith and Mr. Gray”. She turned to him and winked, the hint of a smile forming on her face before she moved out of his field of vision. ‘Grey’ was right. Sitting behind a large steel desk were two gentlemen who, he judged, had not had a sunny day in their entire lifetimes. Grey haired men, in grey suits and the furniture being the colour it was... what was it about this place and monochrome? “Thank you, Miss Pendleton. Hi, I’m John Smith!” said Mr. Gray. Sudie strikes again! She may not have brought as much efficiency to the table, as one might expect of an executive assistant, but she was beyond reprieve… just one of the perks of being the boss’ niece. Besides, it was always nice to see her pretty face before you knocked at Kellams’ door.
Suddenly he realized he was alone. Sue had left him standing just inside the doorway and was now back at her desk. He stepped forward hesitantly to accept the hand Mr. Smith was still offering to him.
The real Gray motioned him to the solitary chair. Michael sat down slowly, feeling his weight sink into the cushion, not knowing what to expect from the grey men.
Floyd: As cohabitant contributor, I reserve the right to refrain from refraining from expressing myself.
He worked in front of a computer screen in a fairly large office where everyone else also worked in front of the brilliant glow of a computer screen. If asked, he was pretty certain that he would not be able to explain his job to just any layman. But he was no exception; in an organization of this nature, with such ‘highly skilled’ operators tapping away at their keyboards all day, things were never that simple that they could be put forth in everyday terms. And if things were explained as they were, he was pretty certain they would never be understood.
So generally, no one asked.
Floyd: Smart… you obviously ran out of ideas there… dintcha?
The computers were white, the walls were white, the carpet and furniture were all white. Mr. Kellams liked things that way. “Colour does not inspire a sense of security in our clients” he had famously said.
Employees were assigned cubicle workspaces and all cubicles connected to a main aisle that ran straight down to the only thing that stood out in the room: the black door to Mr. Kellams’ office. The same aisle every male employee stared down every time Sudie had to make the long walk to speak with Barry from Finance.
Floyd: Now this is getting interesting.
She might have been romantically involved with him, but no one really knew and it didn’t really matter to them either. The fact that her cute behind had to sway past each row of cubicles every time she made her way down was good enough for them.
Michael could no longer hear the drone of Mr. Gray’s voice. His eyes had glazed over as he flashed back to the three and something years he had already spent at this corporation. The white sandy beaches, pinacoladas by the pool, the wife at a day spa, kids at her mother’s, Sudie’s polka dotted bikini… when he signed on the dotted line, this was the impression he had of the things his job would afford him. But that meeting was at The Hilton… and this was obviously not.
Kellams was definitely good at hooking ‘em.
Floyd: And what about the bikini? That’s it…?? As cohabitant contributor, I reserve the right to express my fathomless disappointment.
Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now
U2 – All I Want Is You
